Lexington, Ky - Have any idea what the first-ever Spotlight Lexington Festival will be like? It's never been done before, so no one can say for certain. But an opportunity to sample the 17-day event scheduled to coincide with the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games is coming on August 26 in the form of a "supersized" Thursday Night Live (TNL).
More on that in a moment.
In addition to live entertainment presented on three stages in Courthouse Plaza, Cheapside Park and Triangle Park, the Spotlight Festival will feature a giant video board set up on the Centrepointe site to provide live broadcasts of WEG competition underway at the Kentucky Horse Park, as well as entertainment on the main stage in Courthouse Plaza.
Applebee's, the official bar and
grill of Spotlight Lexington,
and DaRae & Friends Catering, official caterer of the Patron's Club, will locate in the Centrepointe block.
Hoping to create a festive atmosphere, the city's Special Events Commission approved a resolution allowing festival goers to carry open containers of alcoholic beverages purchased from these licensed festival vendors between the hours of 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. throughout a designated festival area stretching from Midland to Jefferson and from High Street to Second.
Patrons of existing bars and restaurants within the festival area will not be permitted to carry open containers of alcoholic beverages off of those premises or carry a beverage purchased from festival vendors into a downtown restaurant or bar.
To give everyone a sense of what's coming with the opening of the Spotlight Lexington Festival on September 25, Thursday Night Live, the Downtown Lexington Corporation's highly popular weekly downtown event in Cheapside Park, is being expanded on August 26 to present live music not only at Cheapside, but also on a second stage on Mill Street and a third on Courthouse Plaza. Carrying open containers of alcoholic beverages purchased from official TNL vendors only will be permitted within the area between Mill and Courthouse Plaza and cannot be taken into bars and restaurants located in the zone.
The latest artist joining the Spotlight lineup is guaranteed to bring a festive, "N'Awlins" flavor to downtown Lexington. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (www.tromboneshorty.com/) will perform at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 26 on the main stage at Courthouse Plaza.
Information about the Spotlight Lexington Festival, including an entertainment schedule, is available online at www.lexingtonky.gov/spotlightlexington/.